"There is no such thing as touching the brake or anything like that." Premier Ed Stelmach
A unique coalition of 12 different private landowner and conservation groups, including the Pembina Institute, will call upon Premier Ed Stelmach today to find a more reliable vehicle for driving development in Alberta's historic foothills.
An unlikely coalition of ranchers, landowners and environmentalists will release the contents of a three page letter sent to the government on April 3rd.
The letter warns "that a planning and policy vacuum in Alberta has given rise to growth without the guiding hand of sobriety."
"Sacrificing renewable resources, threatening ecological integrity and creating a future economic and ecological debt is not in Albertan's best interest," adds the letter.
The document echoes the conclusions of a provincial report on unrestrained growth in Fort McMurray (Investing In Our Future) by senior civil servant Doug Radke released last month. Radke described environmental monitoring as "inadequate" and portrayed decision making as "unclear, outdated or incomplete."
The coalition, which represents nearly 10,000 Albertans, will call for a "time-out" and renew its invitation to government to regard the eastern slopes as a source of vital solutions to two of the province's most pressing problems: water degradation and carbon pollution.
Where: Fish Creek Park: Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre
When: 10 AM Monday, April 16, 2007
The letter can be downloaded here.
Contacts:
Joe Obad: CPAWS: 403-585-5826
John Cross: A7 Ranche: 403-646-0046